Power operated pool cue stick



Feb. 17, 1,970 J. F. MlzGALA I POWER OPERATED POOL CUE STICK Filed Sept. 11, 196'? United States Patent Odtce 3,495,826 Patented Feb. 17, 1970 3,495,826 POWER OPERATED POOL CUE STICK Joseph F. Mizgala, 21081 Fairview Drive, Dearborn Heights, Mich. 48127 Filed Sept. 11, 1967, Ser. No. 666,689 Int. Cl. A63d 15/08 U.S. Cl. 273-69 3 Claims ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE A power operated pool cue stick having a body and a rod slida'ble therein which is forcefully driven out of the front end of the body. The front end of the rod is guided by sliding an accurately machined hollow sleeve over an accurately machined shank portion on the front end of the body. The sliding t between the sleeve and said shank portion controls the accuracy of the power shot provided by the pool cue stick. A radially operative trigger stem with a radial shoulder for holding the rod in a cocked power position in the body and a shock absorber to dampen the expansion of the actuating springs are also provided in the body of the cue stick.

My invention relates to power operated pool cue sticks.

The principal object of my invention is the provision of an improved power operated pool cue stick which is thoroughly practical in construction so as to be capable of withstanding continual use without breakdown and t0 be adapted for quantity manufacture at low cost.

The foregoing object of my invention and its advantages will become apparent during the course of the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGS. 1 and 2 are plan views showing different operative positions of a power operated pool cue stick embodying my invention; and

FIGS. 3-7 are fragmentary longitudinal sectional views of said embodiment.

Referring to the drawings in greater detail, said embodiment is generally designated and comprises, in the instance, rear and forward abutting body members 12 and 13, respectively, which may be of wood or plastic as shown. The body members 12 and 13 are provided with aligned unthreaded axial bores 14 and 15, respectively, and are joined at their inner ends via intertting metal caps 16 and 17, respectively, cemented on said inner ends and a threaded connector 18 threadably engaged with said end caps 16 and 17 and in threaded bores 20 and 21, respectively, in said members 12 and 13. The connector 18, which is preferably cemented in the bore 20, is provided with an unthreaded bore 24 throughout its length which is aligned with bores 14 and 15. Drilling of long accurate bores is easier with two abutting body members joined as described. Said embodiment 10 also comprises a metal rod 25 which is slidably carried in aligned bores 14, 15 and 24 and which in turn carries on its forward end a metal female sleeve 26 with which said rod 25 is threadably connected. The bores 14, 15 and 24 and the rod 25 are machined to tolerances of about thirty thousandths to insure free movement of said rod 25 in said bores. The sleeve 26 has a straight bore 28 formed inwardly from its rear end by which it is slidable over a front shank portion 29 of the member 13 which shank portion 29 has a straight outer diameter and serves as a guide for the movement of said sleeve 26. The outer surface of the sleeve 26 is knurled, as at 23, to provide a non-slip grip for pulling it rearwardly on the shank portion 29. Not more than two-thousandths tolerances are provided between the bore 28 and the shank portion 29 to insure accuracy of sliding movement of the sleeve 26 over the shank portion 29. The accuracy of the power shot provided by said embodiment 10 is dependent upon the closely held t between the bore 28 and the shank portion 29. The outer surfaces of the members 12 and 13 taper uniformly and decreasingly in diameter from the rear end `of the member 12 to the straight shank portion 29. A conventional cue tip 46 is threadably engaged in the forward end of the sleeve 26. The forward end of the rod 25 bottoms against the shank end of the cue tip 25 when the sleeve 26 is threadably engaged on said rod 25. In threading the sleeve 26 on the front of the rod 25 the latter is held fast against rotation at the portion thereof exposed when the body members 12 and 13 are separated at their inner ends by unthreading the forward body member 13 from the connector 18. In the event only one body member is employed in lieu of the two body members 12 and 13, as by molding a full lentgh one-piece body member, provision must be made for holding the rod 25 fast against rotation while the sleeve 26 is threaded on the front end of the rod 25. To accomplish this a transverse aperture through such `one-piece body member and through the rod 25 may be provided by which the latter can be held fast against rotation in respect to such onepiece body member. A spring guide 27 is threadably engaged on the rear end of the rod 25 and operates in an enlarged axial bore 30 in the member 12. A rubber sleeve 31 is carried on the rear end of the rod 25 ahead of the spring guide 27 to act as a shock absorber. An end cap 45 which is provided with a rubber bumper 33 is threadably engaged in the rear end of the bore 30 and a plurality of individual compression springs 32 which are disposed end to end in the bore 30 operate upon the enlargement on the spring guide 27 and against the end cap 45. The spring guide 27 is provided with a pilot portion which enters the forwardmost compression spring 32. Ahead of the bore 30 the member 12 is provided with a radial bore 34 in which a trigger 35 operates. The trigger 35 has a non-slip 'button 36 which is threadably connected with a stern 37 slidably operative in a bearing 38 press tted in the bore 34. The trigger 35 is yieldably urged upwardly out of the bearing 38 by a compression spring 39 which operates upon the underside of the button 36 and against the upper end of the bearing 39. The lower end of the trigger stem 37 is provided with an angled transverse bore 40 through it which forms a rearwardly facing radial shoulder with a flat 41 machined on the outer cylindrical surface of said stem 37. The rod 25 operates through the bore 43 and the portion thereof which transverses the trigger stem 37 is provided with a plurality of notches 42 which happen to be four in number in the instance. Each notch 42 comprises a forwardly facing radial shoulder formed by a frusto-conical cam surface machined into the outside diameter of the rod 25. The radial shoulder on each notch 42 cooperates with the radial shoulder on the stem 37 to hold the rod 25 cocked in a retracted power position against the urging of the plurality of springs 32. The cam surface lon each notch 42 operates on the bottom surface of the bore 40 which serves as a cooperating cam surface when the rod 25 is m-oved rearwardly to move the radial shoulder `on the stem 37 downwardly out of the way of the notches 42. Such movement of the radial shoulder on the stern 37 when the rod 25 is being cocked occurs against the urging of the spring 39. FIG. 5 shows the rod 25 held cocked in its most retracted power position. FIGS. 1 and 3 correspond to FIG. 5 and show the sleeve 26 covering the shank portion 29 on the member 13. FIG. 7 shows the rod 25 in its most forward released position. FIGS. 2 and 6 correspond to FIG. 7 and show the sleeve 26 after it has moved forwardly over said shank portion 29.

In using said embodiment 10, la pool player sizes up the shot he is to make and decides how much power he needs behind it. There is enough power in the m-ost retracted or full power position for any shot in the game of 'billiards or pool including the opening break shot. Besides the full power position the player has the choice of 1A, 1/2 or 2%: power positions in the instance. He selects one of these four positions by grasping the sleeve 26 with one hand, by holding the member 12 with the other and by pulling the sleeve 26 rearwardly over the shank portion 29 against the urging of the springs 32 until the desired power position is reached. This can be determined from the number of clicks that the player hears or by judging from the position of the sleeve 26 on the guide portion 29. After experience in the use of said embodiment 10 the exact power position desired may be readily selected by art from the force applied to the sleeve 26 to retract it. Enough force is applied to the sleeve 26 to retract it slightly rearwardly of the power position desired to insure that the radial shoulder on the stem 37 moves into engagement with and in front of the radial shoulder on the respective notch 42 (as shown in FIG. 5) to hold the rod 25 cocked in the desired power position. The player then holds the embodiment 10 with one hand on the member 12 with the thumb thereof poised over the trigger button 36 and with the other hand stretched forwardly supporting the member 13 preferably with the latter threaded between the rst and second fingers and supported by the thumb and second nger as with a conventional cue stick. The player then holds the cue tip 46 closely adjacent the cue ball preferably at the center thereof and aims said embodiment 10 to drive the cue ball in the direction desired. The player then depresses the trigger button 36 whereupon the cue ball will :be driven with the power selected in the direction aimed. The force with which the springs 32 drive the rod 25 forwardly is so swiftly applied that all four notches 42 travel through the bore 40 before the thumb can release the trigger button 36. yRelease of the trigger button 36 after the sleeve 26 is literally shot forward or red does not accomplish raising of the trigger 35 because the radial shoulder on the trigger stem is captured (as shown in FIG. 7) by the bottom surfaces of the rod 25 and cannot enter a notch 42 until the rod 25 is again cocked 'by repeating the aforementioned step of retracting the sleeve 26. The shock absorber 31 strikes the bottom of the bore 30 in the ring of the sleeve 26 forwardly and in doing so absorbs the forceful expansion of the springs 32. I have found that the obtain adequtae power to drive the cue ball with the requisite force the spring chamber (dened in the instance by the bore 30 and the end cap 45) for the springs 32 must be shorter than the effective combined length of them all together so that even in the forwardmost released position of the rod the springs 32 are under compression. This compression is increased manyfold as the sleeve 26 is retracted and held cocked in its four power positions shown in the instance. I have also found that the shock absorbing rubber sleeve 31 is essential because the forceful expansion of the springs 32 must be absorbed with each shot even when the cue ball is struck solidly by the cue tip 46. This is by reason of the spring chamber length as described and by such arrangement of the shock absorber 31 continual use without breakdown is a reality with said embodiment 10 because of the countless times the same may be tired without the cue tip 25 striking anything. A plurality of springs 32 provide adjustment of the power with which the sleeve 26 is propelled by change in the number inserted into the spring chamber. All but the last few can `be inserted into the spring chamber without compressing them which facilitates loading the spring chamber in contrast to employing a single spring. When the sleeve 26 is retracted to cock the rod 25 in the desired power position the trigger 35 is automatically raised by the spring 39 'by virtue of the radial shoulder on the trigger stem 37 entering the respective notch 42 and engaging the radial shoulder on the latter. Said embodiment 10 is then ready to be held, aimed and shot to drive a cue :ball with the power selected and in the desired direction as desired.

It will thus be seen that there has been provided by my invention improvements in pool cue sticks in which the object hereinabove set forth together with many other thoroughly practical advantages has been successfully achieved. While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown and described it is to be understood that variations and changes may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A power operated pool cue stick comprising, in combination, longitudinal body means having an axial bore therein, said body means having formed on the front end thereof a straight cylindrical shank portion, a rod slidable in the bore between retracted positions and a forward released position, means for cocking the rod in said retracted positions, trigger means for releasing the rod from its retracted cocked positions, and means operative upon actuation of said trigger means for forcefully driving the rod from a retracted cocked position out of the front end of said body means into said forward released position in the power stroke of said rod, a hollow cylindrical sleeve carried on the front end of said rod which is slidable on and never leaves said shank portion during the movement of said rod in respect to said body means, the sliding t between said sleeve and said shank portion controlling the accuracy of the movement of said rod in respect to said body means during the power stroke of said rod, said sleeve having a nonslip hand grip construction on its exterior surface so as to also serve as a handle in cocking the rod into its retracted cocked positions, said body means having in a rearward portion thereof a transverse bore intersecting and crossing said axial bore, a push button manually operable trigger stem slidable in said transverse bore, said trigger stem and said rod having co-acting locking means for locking said rod in its retracted cocked positions which include said trigger stern intersecting and crossing said rod and having an aperture therethrough through which said rod operates, the locking means of said rod engageable with the locking means of said trigger stern in spite of axial rotation of the rod which may occur during cocking thereof into its retracted cocked positions, and the locking means of said trigger stem located on the portion thereof disposed on the crossed side of said rod in respect to said push button.

2. A power operated pool cue stick as claimed in claim 1, said rod having spaced fully circumferential notches providing forwardly facing shoulders, said trigger stem aperture at an acute angle with respect to said rod providing a rearwardly facing shoulder engageable with the shoulders on said rod in locking the same in its retracted cocked positions,

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 942,486 12/1909 Dall .g. 273-69 8/ 1924 Seeman et al 273-68 4/1960 Kremski et al 273-69 X FOREIGN PATENTS 100,454 12/1898 Germany.

RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner RICHARD I. APLEY, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R.

1,157,909 10/1915 Teague 273-69 10 124-16, 37 

